Display unit and electronic apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display unit comprising an organic layer between a light-emitting section portion of a first electrode layer and a light-emitting section portion of a second electrode layer. Light is emissible from within the organic layer. An aperture-defining insulating film is between a contact section of the first electrode layer and a gap section portion of the second electrode layer. The thickness of the gap section portion of the second electrode layer is greater than the thickness of the light-emitting section portion of the second electrode layer.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a display unit having a self-emittingtype light-emitting element including an organic layer, and anelectronic apparatus that includes such a display unit.

In recent years, for a display unit as an alternative to a liquidcrystal display, an organic EL display unit has been put into practicaluse that utilizes a self-emitting type organic EL (Electro Luminescence)element including an organic layer. The organic EL display unit has awider angle of viewing field as an advantage of a self-emitting type incomparison with a liquid crystal display, and the like, as well assatisfactory response to high-resolution high-speed video signals.

In the past, for an organic EL element, an attempt on improvement of adisplay performance has been made in such a manner that a resonatorstructure is adopted, and light which is generated on a light-emittinglayer is controlled by enhancing the color purity of luminescent colorsor by increasing the luminous efficiency (for example, see InternationalPublication No. WO 01/39554). For example, in a top emission method (topsurface emission method) that takes light out of a surface on the sideopposite to a substrate (top surface), an anode electrode, an organiclayer, and a cathode electrode are laminated in this order via a drivingtransistor on the substrate, and then multiple reflection of light fromthe organic layer is carried out between the anode electrode and thecathode electrode.

In an organic EL display unit employing such a top emission method, toassure a high aperture ratio, a cathode electrode located at a sealingpanel side is served as an integrated electrode layer that is providedin common on each organic EL element. Further, the cathode electrode iscomposed of an optically transparent conductive material such as ITO(Indium Tin Oxide) to take light out of a top surface. However, such anoptically transparent conductive material exhibits a resistivity greaterby approximately two to three orders of magnitude as compared with atypical metallic material, and the like. As a result, it is likely thata voltage that is applied to the cathode electrode may become uneven inplane, and thus a disadvantage has been found that the emissionluminance could vary among each of organic EL elements depending onin-plane positions, which makes it difficult to achieve a satisfactorydisplay quality.

Consequently, to resolve such a disadvantage, an organic EL display unithas been proposed that forms an auxiliary wiring to be connected with acathode electrode on the same layer on which, for example, an anodeelectrode located at a driving panel side is formed, thereby suppressingvoltage drop of the cathode electrode in an in-plane direction (forexample, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2010-244808). In such an organic EL display unit, for example, theauxiliary wiring is connected with the cathode electrode at an area outof a display region of each organic EL element. In such a manner,above-described variation in the emission luminance among each of theorganic EL elements depending on in-plane positions is alleviated tosome extent by laying out the auxiliary wiring in a mesh form along thecathode electrode extending in an in-plane direction and by connectingthe auxiliary wiring with the cathode electrode.

SUMMARY

In the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2010-244808, an auxiliary wiring to be connected with a cathodeelectrode is provided on the same layer on which an anode electrode isformed, and thus it is necessary to assure a sufficient space for layingout the auxiliary wiring. This poses an impediment to improvement of theaperture ratio on a display section. Similarly, even when the auxiliarywiring is provided on the same layer on which an electrode for a drivingelement that performs a display driving for the organic EL element isformed, the same disadvantage takes place as well.

As a method to resolve such a disadvantage, a method may be contemplatedto provide the auxiliary wiring to be connected with a cathode electrodeon any layer different from a layer on which an anode electrode or anelectrode for a driving element is formed, although this is notpractical because it leads to complicated structure and bothersomemanufacturing.

It is desirable to provide a display unit capable of exhibiting moreexcellent image display performance in spite of a simple configuration,and an electronic apparatus that includes such a display unit.

The display unit comprises an organic layer between a light-emittingsection portion of a first electrode layer and a light-emitting sectionportion of a second electrode layer. Light is emissible from within theorganic layer. An aperture-defining insulating film is between a contactsection of the first electrode layer and a gap section portion of thesecond electrode layer. The thickness of the gap section portion of thesecond electrode layer is greater than the thickness of thelight-emitting section portion of the second electrode layer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended toprovide further explanation of the technology as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrateembodiments and, together with the specification, serve to explain theprinciples of the present technology.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a displayunit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a pixel drivingcircuit illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing a configuration of a display regionillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a configuration of thedisplay region illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional diagram showing a configuration of thedisplay region illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional diagram showing an organic layerillustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view showing a configuration of a display unit accordingto a comparative example.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a configuration of a displayregion illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a substantial partconfiguration of a display unit according to a first modificationexample.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a substantial partconfiguration of a display unit according to a second modificationexample.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a substantial partconfiguration of a display unit according to a third modificationexample.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a substantial partconfiguration of a display unit according to a fourth modificationexample.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a substantial partconfiguration of a display unit according to a fifth modificationexample.

FIG. 14 is a top view showing a simplified structure of a moduleincluding the display unit according to any of the above-describedembodiment and the modification examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of atelevision receiver as a first application example for the display unitaccording to any of the above-described embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16A is a first perspective view showing an external appearance of adigital camera as a second application example for the display unitaccording to any of the above-described embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16B is a second perspective view showing an external appearance ofthe digital camera as the second application example for the displayunit according to any of the above-described embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of anotebook personal computer as a third application example for thedisplay unit according to any of the above-described embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a videocamera as a fourth application example for the display unit according toany of the above-described embodiment and the modification examples ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 19A is a front view, a left-side view, a right-side view, a topview, and a bottom view showing an external appearance in a closed stateof a cellular phone as a fifth application example for the display unitaccording to any of the above-described embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19B is a front view and a side view showing an external appearancein an open state of the cellular phone as the fifth application examplefor the display unit according to any of the above-described embodimentand the modification examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20A is a first perspective view showing an external appearance of atablet-type PC as a sixth application example using the display unitaccording to any of the above-described embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20B is a second perspective view showing an external appearance ofthe tablet-type PC as the sixth application example using the displayunit according to any of the above-described embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetails with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a display unit using organiclight-emitting elements according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The display unit may be utilized as an ultralow-profileorganic light-emitting color display unit, and the like. This displayunit is provided with a display region 110 that is formed on a substrate111. At the periphery of the display region 110 on the substrate 111,for example, there may be formed a signal-line driving circuit 120, ascanning-line driving circuit 130, and a power supply line drivingcircuit 140 which are drivers for image display. Further, at theperiphery of the display region 110, there is provided an auxiliarywiring 17 (to be hereinafter described) that is looped to surround thedisplay region 110. The auxiliary wiring 17 is a metallic layer that isconductive with a second electrode layer 16 to be described later.

On the display region 110, there are formed a plurality of organiclight-emitting elements 10 (10R, 10G, and 10B) that are arrangedtwo-dimensionally in a matrix pattern, and a pixel driving circuit 150for driving the organic light-emitting elements 10. In the pixel drivingcircuit 150, a plurality of signal lines 120A (120A1, 120A2, . . . ,120Am, . . . ) are arrayed in a column direction, while a plurality ofscanning lines 130A (130A1, 130An, . . . ) and a plurality of powersupply lines 140A (140A1, 140An, . . . ) are arrayed in a row direction.Any one of the organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10B isprovided correspondingly at each point of intersection between each ofthe signal lines 120A and each of the scanning lines 130A. Each of thesignal lines 120A is connected with the signal-line driving circuit 120,and each of the scanning lines 130A is connected with the scanning-linedriving circuit 130, while each of the power supply lines 140A isconnected with the power supply line driving circuit 140.

The signal-line driving circuit 120 provides a signal voltage of animage signal in accordance with luminance information to be deliveredfrom a signal source (not shown in the figure) to the organiclight-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10B that are selected via thesignal lines 120A.

The scanning-line driving circuit 130 is composed of, for example, ashift register that shifts (transfers) start pulses sequentially insynchronization with clock pulses to be applied. In writing an imagesignal into each of the organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G and10B, the scanning-line driving circuit 130 scans them for each row toprovide a scan signal sequentially to each of the scanning lines 130A.

The power supply line driving circuit 140 is composed of, for example, ashift register that shifts (transfers) start pulses sequentially insynchronization with clock pulses to be applied. In synchronization witha scan for each row that is performed by the scanning-line drivingcircuit 130, the power supply line driving circuit 140 provides either afirst potential or a second potential that is different from one anotherto each of the power supply lines 140A as appropriate. This selects aconducting state or a non-conducting state of a driving transistor Tr1to be hereinafter described.

The pixel driving circuit 150 is provided in a layer level (i.e., pixeldriving circuit formation layer 112 to be hereinafter described) betweenthe substrate 111 and the organic light-emitting elements 10. FIG. 2shows a configuration example of the pixel driving circuit 150. As shownin FIG. 2, the pixel driving circuit 150 is an active-type drivingcircuit having the driving transistor Tr1 and a writing transistor Tr2,a capacitor (holding capacitor) Cs that is provided between thesetransistors, and the organic light-emitting elements 10. The organiclight-emitting elements 10 are connected in series with the drivingtransistor Tr1 between the power supply line 140A and a common powersupply line (GND). Each of the driving transistor Tr1 and the writingtransistor Tr2 is composed of a typical TFT (Thin-Film Transistor), anda configuration thereof is not limited to a specific one, and may be aninversely staggered structure (so-called bottom-gate type) or astaggered structure (so-called top-gate type).

On the writing transistor Tr2, for example, a drain electrode isconnected with the signal line 120A, and an image signal from thesignal-line driving circuit 120 is provided. Further, a gate electrodeon the writing transistor Tr2 is connected with the scanning line 130A,and a scan signal from the scanning-line driving circuit 130 isprovided. Additionally, a source electrode on the writing transistor Tr2is connected with a gate electrode on the driving transistor Tr1.

On the driving transistor Tr1, for example, a drain electrode isconnected with the power supply line 140A, and the voltage thereof isset to the first potential or the second potential that is provided bythe power supply line driving circuit 140. A source electrode on thedriving transistor Tr1 is connected with the organic light-emittingelements 10. The driving transistor Tr1 is a driving element forcontrolling a voltage to be applied across a first electrode layer 13(to be described later) and the second electrode layer 16.

The holding capacitor Cs is formed between the gate electrode of thedriving transistor Tr1 (source electrode of the writing transistor Tr2)and the source electrode of the driving transistor Tr1.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the display region 110 extendingover X-Y plane. FIG. 3 illustrates a planar configuration viewed fromthe top side for the display region 110 in a state where the secondelectrode layer 16, a protective film 18 and a sealing substrate 19(both are to be described later) are removed. On the display region 110,the plurality of the organic light-emitting elements 10 are lined up inX direction and Y direction to be arranged in a matrix pattern as awhole. More specifically, each of the organic light-emitting elements10R, 10G and 10B, which is separated from each other by anaperture-defining insulating film 24 and includes a light-emittingsection 20 whose contour is defined, is disposed one by one. The organiclight-emitting element 10R emits red-color light, and the organiclight-emitting element 10G emits green-color light, while the organiclight-emitting element 10B emits blue-color light. Hereupon, the organiclight-emitting elements 10 that emit the same color light are arrangedon a line in Y direction, and such patterns are disposed repeatedly in Xdirection sequentially. Accordingly, a combination of the organiclight-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10B that are adjacent to eachother in X direction composes a single pixel.

In FIG. 3, a dashed rectangle surrounding the light-emitting section 20represents a region in which an organic layer 14 is formed. Desirably,the organic layer 14 may be larger in size than the light-emittingsection 20 on the organic light-emitting element 10 that the organiclayer 14 itself composes, and the organic layer 14 may not be overlappedwith the light-emitting section 20 on other adjacent organiclight-emitting element 10. It does not matter that the organic layers 14that compose the adjacent organic light-emitting elements 10 overlapwith one another in a gap section 21 that is a section other than thelight-emitting section 20. Further, a dashed rectangle surrounding theregion in which the organic layer 14 is formed represents a region inwhich the first electrode layer 13 is formed. At a part of the firstelectrode layer 13, for example, there may be provided a contact section124 that is served for conduction with the source electrode on thedriving transistor Tr1. It is to be noted that the number of the organiclight-emitting elements 10 that are arranged in X direction and Ydirection is set up optionally, and is not limited to the numberindicated in FIG. 3. Also, a single pixel may be composed of four ormore organic light-emitting elements, or an organic light-emittingelement that emits white-color light may be provided additionally.

FIG. 4 shows a simplified structure of X-Z cross-sectional surface alongIV-IV line illustrated in FIG. 3 in the display region 110. As shown inFIG. 4, in the display region 110, a light-emitting element formationlayer 12 including the organic light-emitting elements 10 is formed on abase substrate 11 that is composed of the pixel driving circuitformation layer 112 that is provided on the substrate 111. On the top ofthe organic light-emitting elements 10, the protective film 18 and thesealing substrate 19 are provided in this order. Each of the organiclight-emitting elements 10 is composed of the first electrode layer 13as an anode electrode, the organic layer 14 including a luminescentlayer 14C (to be hereinafter described), and the second electrode layer16 as a cathode electrode that are laminated in this order from thesubstrate 111 side. The first electrode layers 13 of the respectiveorganic light-emitting elements 10 that are adjacent to each other areseparated from one another by the aperture-defining insulating film 24,and the organic layers 14 of the respective organic light-emittingelements 10 that are adjacent to each other are separated from oneanother by the aperture-defining insulating film 24. On the other hand,the second electrode layer 16 is provided in common for all the organiclight-emitting elements 10. It is to be noted that, in FIG. 4, adetailed configuration of the driving transistor Tr1, the writingtransistor Tr2, and the like on the pixel driving circuit formationlayer 112 is omitted.

The aperture-defining insulating film 24 is provided to fill a gapbetween the first electrode layer 13 and the organic layer 14 on theadjacent organic light-emitting elements 10, that is, the gap section 21that is a gap between the light-emitting sections 20. Theaperture-defining insulating film 24, which may be composed of, forexample, an organic material such as polyimide, assures the insulationperformance between the first electrode layer 13 and the secondelectrode layer 16, while accurately defining the light-emittingsections 20 on the organic light-emitting elements 10.

The protective film 18 that covers the organic light-emitting elements10 is composed of an insulating material such as silicon nitride (SiNx).Further, the sealing substrate 19 that is provided on the protectivefilm 18, which seals the organic light-emitting elements 10 togetherwith the protective film 18, an adhesive layer (not shown in the figure)and the like, is composed of a material such as transparent glass thattransmits light arising on the luminescent layer 14C therethrough.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 in addition to FIG. 4, thedescriptions are provided on detailed configurations of the basesubstrate 11 and the organic light-emitting elements 10. It is to benoted that each of the organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10Bhas a configuration in common with the exception that a configuration ofthe organic layer 14 is different in part, and thus they arecollectively described hereinafter.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram taken along V-V line in the displayregion 110 illustrated in FIG. 3. Further, FIG. 6 is an enlargedcross-sectional diagram showing a part of the organic layer 14illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

The base substrate 11 is a component part where the pixel drivingcircuit formation layer 112 including the pixel driving circuit 150 isprovided on the substrate 111 that is composed of a material, such asglass, silicon (Si) wafer, or resin. On the top face of the substrate111, as first-level metallic layers, there are provided a metallic layer211G that is a gate electrode of the driving transistor Tr1 and ametallic layer 221G that is a gate electrode of the writing transistorTr2 (FIG. 5), as well as the signal lines 120A (FIG. 5). These metalliclayers 211G and 2216, as well as the signal lines 120A are covered witha gate insulating film 212 that is composed of a material, such assilicon nitride and silicon oxide.

At a region corresponding to the metallic layers 211G and 221G on thegate insulating film 212, there are provided channel layers 213 and 223each of which is composed of a semiconductor thin film such as amorphoussilicon. On the channel layers 213 and 223, there are providedinsulating channel protective films 214 and 224 respectively to occupychannel regions 213R and 223R that are central regions for the channellayers 213 and 223, and there are provided drain electrodes 215D and225D as well as source electrodes 215S and 225S, each of which iscomposed of an n-type semiconductor thin film such as n-type amorphoussilicon, at a region on both sides of the insulating channel protectivefilms 214 and 224. The drain electrodes 215D and 225D as well as thesource electrodes 215S and 225S are separated from each other by thechannel protective films 214 and 224 respectively, and end faces thereofare separated from each other with the channel regions 213R and 223Rinterposed between. Further, as second-level metallic layers, metalliclayers 216D and 226D as drain wiring as well as metallic layers 216S and226S as source wiring are provided to cover each of the drain electrodes215D and 225D as well as the source electrodes 215S and 225S,respectively. Each of the metallic layers 216D and 226D as well as themetallic layers 216S and 226S may have a structure of laminating, forexample, a titanium (Ti) layer, an aluminum (Al) layer, and a titaniumlayer in this order. As the second-level metallic layers, in addition tothe metallic layers 216D and 226D as well as the metallic layers 216Sand 226S as described above, there are provided the scanning lines 130Aand the power supply lines 140A (FIG. 4). It is to be noted that thedescription is here provided on the driving transistor Tr1 and thewriting transistor Tr2 that adopt an inversely staggered structure(so-called bottom-gate type), although such transistors adopting astaggered structure (so-called top-gate type) may be permittedalternatively. Further, the signal lines 120A may be provided on thesecond-level layer at any region other than a point of intersectionbetween each of the scanning lines 130A and the power supply lines 140A.

The pixel driving circuit 150 is covered over a whole area with aprotective film (passivation film) 217 that is composed of a materialsuch as silicon nitride, and an insulating planarizing film 218 isfurther provided on the protective film 217. Preferably, the planarizingfilm 218 may have a top surface with extremely-high planarity. Further,at a part of a region of the planarizing film 218 and the protectivefilm 217, there is provided the microscopic contact section 124 (FIG.4). Because especially the planarizing film 218 is larger than theprotective film 217 in thickness, preferably, the planarizing film 218may be composed of a material with excellent pattern accuracy, such asan organic material including polyimide and the like. The contactsection 124, which is filled up with the first electrode layer 13, isconductive with the metallic layer 216S composing a source electrode ofthe driving transistor Tr1.

The first electrode layer 13 that is formed on the planarizing film 218also has a functionality as a reflective layer, and thus, preferably,the first electrode layer 13 may be composed of a material with thehighest possible reflectance to improve the luminous efficiency.Therefore, the first electrode layer 13 is composed of ahigh-reflectance material, such as aluminum (Al) and aluminum neodymiumalloy (AlNd).

The organic layer 14 is formed without any void over a whole area of thelight-emitting sections 20 each of which is defined by theaperture-defining insulating film 24. As shown in an example in FIG. 6,the organic layer 14 may have a structure in which a hole injectionlayer 14A, a hole transportation layer 14B, the luminescent layer 14C,and an electron transportation layer 14D are laminated in this orderfrom the first electrode layer 13 side. It is to be noted that anylayers other than the luminescent layer 14C may be provided asappropriate.

The hole injection layer 14A is a buffer layer to improve the holeinjection efficiency, as well as to prevent any leakage. The holetransportation layer 14B increases the hole transportation efficiency tothe luminescent layer 14C. The luminescent layer 14C generates light insuch a manner that recombination of electron and hole occurs by applyingelectric field. The electron transportation layer 14D improves theelectron transportation efficiency to the luminescent layer 14C. It isto be noted that an electron injection layer (not shown in the figure)that is composed of a material, such as LiF and Li₂O may be providedbetween the electron transportation layer 14D and the second electrodelayer 16.

Further, the organic layer 14 is different in configuration depending onluminescent colors of the organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and10B. The hole injection layer 14A on the organic light-emitting element10R, which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more thanapproximately 300 nm in thickness, may be composed of 4, 4′, 4″-tris(3-methylphenyl phenylamino) triphenylamine (m-MTDATA) or 4, 4′, 4″-tris(2-naphthyl phenylamino) triphenylamine (2-TNATA). The holetransportation layer 14B on the organic light-emitting element 10R,which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more than approximately300 nm in thickness, may be composed of bis[(N-naphthyl)-N-phenyl]benzine (α-NPD). The luminescent layer 14C on theorganic light-emitting element 10R, which may be at least approximately10 nm but no more than approximately 100 nm in thickness, may becomposed of a material mixing 8-quinolinol aluminum complex (Alq3) with2, 6-bis [4-[N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-N-phenyl]aminostyryl]naphthalene-1,5-dicarbonitrile (BSN-BCN) at approximately40% ratio in volume. The electron transportation layer 14D on theorganic light-emitting element 10R, which may be at least approximately5 nm but no more than approximately 300 nm in thickness, may be composedof Alq3.

The hole injection layer 14A on the organic light-emitting element 10G,which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more than approximately300 nm in thickness, may be composed of m-MTDATA or 2-TNATA. The holetransportation layer 14B on the organic light-emitting element 10G,which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more than approximately300 nm in thickness, may be composed of α-NPD. The luminescent layer 14Con the organic light-emitting element 10G, which may be at leastapproximately 10 nm but no more than approximately 100 nm in thickness,may be composed of a material mixing Alq3 with Coumarin 6 atapproximately 3% ratio in volume. The electron transportation layer 14Don the organic light-emitting element 10G, which may be at leastapproximately 5 nm but no more than approximately 300 nm in thickness,may be composed of Alq3.

The hole injection layer 14A on the organic light-emitting element 10B,which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more than approximately300 nm in thickness, may be composed of m-MTDATA or 2-TNATA. The holetransportation layer 14B on the organic light-emitting element 10B,which may be at least approximately 5 nm but no more than approximately300 nm in thickness, may be composed of a-NPD. The luminescent layer 14Con the organic light-emitting element 10B, which may be at leastapproximately 10 nm but no more than approximately 100 nm in thickness,may be composed of Spiro 6φ. The electron transportation layer 14D onthe organic light-emitting element 10B, which may be at leastapproximately 5 nm but no more than approximately 300 nm in thickness,may be composed of Alq3.

The second electrode layer 16 has a two-layer structure including afirst conductive layer 161 and a second conductive layer 162. The firstconductive layer 161 is provided in common with two or more or all ofthe organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10B, being disposed inopposition to the first electrode layer 13 on each of the organiclight-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10B. Further, the first conductivelayer 161 is formed to cover not only the organic layer 14 but also theaperture-defining insulating film 24. On the other hand, the secondconductive layer 162, which is not provided at the light-emittingsection 20, is provided only at the gap section 21 in which theaperture-defining insulating film 24 is formed. Accordingly, the secondelectrode layer 16 has a thickness greater than that of thelight-emitting section 20 at the gap section 21 in which theaperture-defining insulating film 24 is formed. It is to be noted thatthe second electrode layer 16 may have a thickness greater than that ofthe light-emitting section 20 in at least a part of the gap section 21.The gap section 21 where the second conductive layer 162 is provided onthe second electrode layer 16 extends toward both of X direction and Ydirection along an arrangement of the organic light-emitting elements10.

The first conductive layer 161 is a transparent electrode that iscomposed of a conductive material having adequate translucency to lightarising on the luminescent layer. Preferably, a constituent materialthereof may be, for example, a compound containing ITO or indium, zinc(Zn), and oxygen.

A constituent material for the second conductive layer 162 may be thesame as, or different from a constituent material for the firstconductive layer 161. However, preferably, a constituent material forthe second conductive layer 162 may have lower volume resistivity thanthat of a constituent material for the first conductive layer 161. Thisis because it is possible to further suppress voltage drop in the secondelectrode layer 16. Hereupon, the second conductive layer 162 does nothave to be transparent since it is formed only at the gap section 21other than the light-emitting section 20 on the second electrode layer16. Accordingly, it is possible to apply an opaque, but highlyconductive metallic material, such as an elementary substance of Al, Cu,or Ag. It is to be noted that a whole gap area that is provided at thegap section 21 on the second electrode layer 16 may be formed of anopaque and highly conductive material. In other words, the secondelectrode layer 16 may be composed of different materials for thelight-emitting section 20 and the gap section 21.

As previously described, the auxiliary wiring 17 is provided in a loopto surround the display region 110 on which the plurality of the organiclight-emitting elements 10 are arranged. As with, for example, the firstelectrode layer 13, the auxiliary wiring 17 is formed on the top surfaceof the planarizing film 218 (FIG. 5), and has a functionality tocompensate for voltage drop in the second electrode layer 16 as a mainelectrode. A part of the auxiliary wiring 17 comes in contact with thesecond electrode layer 16 at a peripheral region of the display region110, and remains in a state of being electrically connected with thesecond electrode layer 16 (see FIG. 5). Preferably, a constituentmaterial for the auxiliary wiring 17 may be a highly conductive metallicmaterial, such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and titanium(Ti) in the case of a single-layer structure. It is to be noted that theauxiliary wiring 17 would not be necessary if presence of the secondconductive layer 162 could fully suppress voltage drop in the secondelectrode layer 16.

It is possible to manufacture this display unit, for example, in thefollowing manner. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, andthe like, the descriptions are provided on a method for manufacturingthe display unit according to this embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, the pixel driving circuit 150 including the driving transistorTr1 and the writing transistor Tr2 is formed on the substrate 111 thatis composed of the above-described material. In concrete terms, first, ametallic film is formed on the substrate 111 using, for example, asputtering technique. Subsequently, the metallic layers 211G and 221G,as well as a part of the signal lines 120A are formed on the substrate111 by patterning the resultant metallic film utilizing, for example, aphotolithographic technique, dry etching, or wet etching technique.Next, the whole area is covered with the gate insulating film 212.Further, a channel layer, a channel protective film, a drain electrode,a source electrode, the metallic layers 216D and 226D, as well as themetallic layers 216S and 226S are formed in predetermined shapes inorder on the gate insulating film 212. Hereupon, in conjunction withformation of the metallic layers 216D and 226D, as well as the metalliclayers 216S and 226S, a part of the signal lines 120A, the scanninglines 130A, and the power supply lines 140A are formed respectively asthe second-level metallic layers. On this occasion, a connection sectionfor connecting the metallic layer 221G with the scanning lines 130A, aconnection section for connecting the metallic layer 226D with thesignal lines 120A, and a connection section for connecting the metalliclayer 226S with the metallic layer 211G are formed beforehand.Thereafter, the whole surface is covered with the protective film 217,thereby bringing the pixel driving circuit 150 to completion. At thistime, an opening is formed at a predetermined position on the metalliclayer 216S on the protective film 217 using a dry etching or othertechnique.

After formation of the pixel driving circuit 150, a photosensitive resincontaining, for example, polyimide as a primary constituent is coatedover a whole surface thereof utilizing a spin coating technique, and thelike. Thereafter, the planarizing film 218 having the contact section124 is formed by performing a photolithographic treatment for thephotosensitive resin. More specifically, the contact section 124 incommunication with an opening that is provided on the protective film217 is formed by means of, for example, selective exposure anddevelopment using a mask having an opening at a predetermined position.Afterward, the planarizing film 218 may be calcinated if necessary. Insuch a manner, the pixel driving circuit formation layer 112 isobtained.

Further, the first electrode layer 13 and the auxiliary wiring 17 thatare composed of the predetermined materials as descried above areformed. In concrete terms, a metallic film that is composed of theabove-described material is formed over a whole surface using, forexample, a sputtering technique, and then a resist pattern in apredetermined shape (not shown in the figure) is formed using apredetermined mask on the resultant laminated film. Further, using thisresist pattern as a mask, selective etching of the metallic film iscarried out. On this occasion, the first electrode layer 13 is formed ina manner to cover the top surface of the planarizing film 218, as wellas to fill up the contact section 124. Further, the auxiliary wiring 17is formed in a manner to surround peripheral areas of all the firstelectrode layers 13 on the top surface of the planarizing film 218.Preferably, the auxiliary wiring 17 may be formed collectively togetherwith the first electrode layer 13 using the same kind of material as thefirst electrode layer 13. This is because manufacturing is simplified.

Subsequently, the aperture-defining insulating film 24 is formed in amanner to fill up a gap between the adjacent first electrode layers 13,as well as to cover the auxiliary wiring 17. On this occasion, anopening is provided at a part of a portion covering the auxiliary wiring17. This is because contact between the second electrode layer 16 to beformed later and the auxiliary wiring 17 is ensured. Next, the organiclayer 14 is formed by sequentially laminating the hole injection layer14A, the hole transportation layer 14B, the luminescent layer 14C, andthe electron transportation layer 14D, which are composed of thepredetermined materials with prescribed thicknesses as descried above,using, for example, a vapor deposition technique in a manner tocompletely cover an exposed portion on the first electrode layer 13.Subsequently, the first conductive layer 161 is formed over the wholesurface in a manner to cover the first electrode layer 13 in oppositionto one another with the organic layer 14 interposed between, as well asto cover the auxiliary wiring 17 at a predetermined opening. Finally,the organic light-emitting element 10 is obtained in such a manner thatthe second conductive layer 162 is formed at a region corresponding tothe aperture-defining insulating film 24 on the first conductive layer161, thereby bringing the second electrode layer 16 to completion.Hereupon, it is possible to form the second conductive layer 162 in thefollowing manner. First, for example, a portion extending toward a firstdirection (for example, X direction) is formed in such a manner that asputtering is carried out by using a metal mask (not shown in thefigure) in which a plurality of slits extending toward the firstdirection are arrayed toward a second direction (for example, Ydirection). Afterward, a portion extending toward the second directionis formed in such a manner that a sputtering is carried out by using ametal mask (not shown in the figure) in which a plurality of slitsextending toward the second direction are arrayed toward the firstdirection (or by rotating the above-described metal mask at an angle ofapproximately 90 degrees). In this way, the second conductive layer 162is formed that has a grid-shaped planar pattern corresponding to thearrangement of the light-emitting sections 20 in X-Y plane.

Thereafter, the protective film 18 that is made of the above-describedmaterial is formed to cover the whole surface. Finally, an adhesivelayer is formed on the protective film 18, and the sealing substrate 19is attached with the adhesive layer interposed between. Such stepscomplete formation of the display unit.

In the display unit that is obtained in such a manner, a scan signal isprovided from the scanning-line driving circuit 130 via a gate electrode(metallic layer 221G) of the writing transistor Tr2 to each of thepixels, and an image signal that is sent from the signal-line drivingcircuit 120 via the writing transistor Tr2 is held by the holdingcapacitor Cs. Meanwhile, in synchronization with scanning for each rowthat is performed by the scanning-line driving circuit 130, the powersupply line driving circuit 140 provides the first potential higher thanthe second potential to each of the power supply lines 140A. Thisselects a conducting state of the driving transistor Tr1 to inject adriving current Id into each of the organic light-emitting elements 10R,10G, and 10B, thereby recombining holes and electrons to generate lightemission. Multiple reflection of this light is performed between thefirst electrode layer 13 and the second electrode layer 16, and thelight is transmitted through the second electrode layer 16, theprotective film 18, and the sealing substrate 19 to be taken out.

As described above, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, aresistance toward an in-plane direction on the second electrode layer 16is made smaller at a gap area that is provided at the gap section 21covering the aperture-defining insulating film 24 than a luminescentportion composing the light-emitting sections 20. This fully suppressesany voltage drop in the second electrode layer 16 without separatelyproviding the auxiliary wiring at the gap section 21 that separates theorganic light-emitting elements 10 from each other. Consequently, it isless likely that luminance deterioration or luminance irregularity willpartially occur in the display region 110. Further, since the necessityfor increasing a thickness of the second electrode layer 16 on thelight-emitting section 20 is also eliminated, it is possible to maintainthe overall emission luminance at the display region 110 without causingreduction in the transmittance on the second electrode layer 16. As aresult, this allows to maintain an increased emission luminance, whileimproving the uniformity in distribution of the emission luminancethereof for achieving higher display performance.

In addition, because the necessity for preparing a space for providingthe auxiliary wiring at the display region 110 is eliminated, it is topossible to fully assure a luminescent region (occupied area of thelight-emitting sections 20) of each of the organic light-emittingelements 10 without causing reduction in the aperture ratio. On thecontrary, as shown in examples in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when auxiliarywiring 117 is also provided at a gap area (gap section 21) between theorganic light-emitting elements 10 to prevent any voltage drop in thesecond electrode layer 16, the aperture ratio will be reduced. This isbecause a space for arranging the auxiliary wiring 117 is necessary.Accordingly, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, it ispossible to improve the luminance of an overall display screen ascompared with a case where the auxiliary wiring is provided at a gaparea between the organic light-emitting elements. This allows to fullydeal with further growth in display screen size. It is to be noted thatFIG. 7 shows a planar configuration of a display unit as a comparativeexample for the display unit according to this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, corresponding to FIG. 3. Further, FIG. 8 is across-sectional diagram taken along VIII-VIII line in the display unitas the comparative example that is illustrated in FIG. 7, correspondingto FIG. 4. In FIG. 7, the auxiliary wiring 117 is shown with theincreasing emphasis to enhance the visibility.

Modification Examples

The present technology is described thus far with reference to theexample embodiment, although the present technology is not limited tothe above-described embodiment, but different variations are available.For example, in the above-described embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the second electrode layer 16 is formed by laminating thefirst conductive layer 161 and the second conductive layer 162 in thisorder on the aperture-defining insulating film 24 at the gap section 21,although the present technology is not limited thereto. For example, asshown in FIG. 9, a method may be adopted in which the second conductivelayer 162 is first formed on the aperture-defining insulating film 24,and then the first conductive layer 161 is formed in a manner to coverthe whole surface (first modification example).

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 10, a method may be adopted in which aconductive film pattern 22 is provided at a region opposite to the gapsection 21 on the top surface of the sealing substrate 19, and this isbrought into contact with the second electrode layer 16 (secondmodification example). This structure may be achieved, for example, insuch a manner that the conductive film pattern 22 in a predeterminedshape is formed beforehand at a predetermined position on the sealingsubstrate 19, and this pattern is attached to the substrate 111 on whichthe organic light-emitting elements 10 are formed. This makes itpossible to simplify a structure and manufacturing processes, whileachieving reduction in screen thickness of the display unit.

Further, in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure,the looped auxiliary wiring 17 surrounding the display region 110 isprovided on the planarizing film 218 as well as on the first electrodelayer 13, although the present technology is not limited thereto. Forexample, like a third modification example illustrated in FIG. 11, theauxiliary wiring 17 may be provided as a second-level metallic layer onthe gate insulating film 212. In this case, the auxiliary wiring 17 maybe formed using the same kind of material in conjunction with thescanning lines 130A, power supply lines 140A, and the like in additionto the metallic layers 216D, 226D, 216S, and 226S as the second-levelmetallic layers. Further, an opening may be formed by selectivelydigging down the aperture-defining insulating film 24 and theplanarizing film 218 to expose the top surface of the auxiliary wiring17. Thereafter, the second electrode layer 16 (first conductive layer161) may be formed to cover the opening and the top surface of theauxiliary wiring 17. It is to be noted that when the auxiliary wiring 17is formed on the planarizing film 218, it is possible to arrange theauxiliary wiring 17 at a region overlapping with peripheral circuits,such as the signal-line driving circuit 120, the scanning-line drivingcircuit 130, and the power supply line driving circuit 140. On the otherhand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the auxiliary wiring 17 is formed in alayer same in layer as the driving transistor Tr1 and the like, theauxiliary wiring 17 may be disposed at one or both of a gap area betweenthe display region 110 and the above-described peripheral circuits and aregion outside the above-described peripheral circuits.

Alternatively, for example, like a fourth modification exampleillustrated in FIG. 12, the auxiliary wiring 17 may be provided that iscomposed of a two-layer structure having a metallic layer 171 which isprovided on the gate insulating film 212 and a metallic layer 172covering the planarizing film 218.

Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, for example, likea fifth modification example illustrated in FIG. 13, as an alternativeto the auxiliary wiring 17, a looped seal section 23 surrounding thedisplay region 110 may be formed using a conductive adhesive material.The seal section 23 is capable of preventing outflow of the protectivefilm 18 and performing the functionality as the auxiliary wiring 17 forthe second electrode layer 16 with bottom face thereof bonded to thesecond electrode layer 16 and with top face thereof bonded to thesealing substrate 19.

Additionally, in the above-described embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the first conductive layer 161 is formed in common over bothareas of the light-emitting section 20 and the gap section 21, althoughthe present technology is not limited thereto. For example, the secondelectrode layer 16 may be formed separately for each of thelight-emitting section 20 and the gap section 21. However, when thesecond electrode layer 16 at the gap section 21 is composed of alaminated structure including the first and second conductive layers,one or both of the first and second conductive layers may be made of thesame kind of material as the second electrode layer 16 on thelight-emitting section 20.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, acase where the organic light-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10R areprovided by assigning different colors for the organic layers 14 thatemit red-color light, green-color light, and blue-color light,respectively, is illustrated by an example, although the presenttechnology is not limited thereto. For example, all the organiclight-emitting elements 10 may be set up to emit white-color light, andeach color light may be taken out by means of a color filter that isprovided separately. In this case, the organic layers 14 are provided incommon with some or all the plurality of the organic light-emittingelements 10, and include a portion covering the aperture-defininginsulating film 24 as well.

Also, in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, acase where one pixel is composed of the organic light-emitting elements10R, 10G, and 10R emitting red-color light, green-color light, andblue-color light, respectively, is illustrated by an example, althoughthe present technology is not limited thereto. For example, one pixelmay be composed of four kinds of organic light-emitting elementsincluding an organic light-emitting element 10W that emits white-colorlight or an organic light-emitting element 10Y that emits yellow-colorlight in addition to the above-described three kinds of the organiclight-emitting elements 10R, 10G, and 10R.

Further, the display unit may be permitted that extracts red-colorlight, green-color light, blue-color light, and yellow-color light byusing organic light-emitting elements 10Y and 10B emitting yellow-colorlight and blue-color light respectively in conjunction with colorfilters of red-color light, green-color light, blue-color light, andyellow-color light. Alternatively, the display unit may be alsopermitted that extracts red-color light, green-color light, andblue-color light by using the organic light-emitting elements 10Y and10B emitting yellow-color light and blue-color light respectively inconjunction with color filters of red-color light, green-color light,and blue-color light.

Additionally, the present technology is not limited to materials andlamination sequences for each layer, or film formation methods that aredescribed in the present embodiment. For example, in the above-describedembodiment of the present disclosure, a case where the first electrodelayer 13 is served as an anode, and the second electrode layer 16 isserved as a cathode is described, although the first electrode layer 13may be served as a cathode, and the second electrode layer 16 may beserved as an anode. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a configuration of the light-emitting section 20 isexplained with concrete descriptions, although any other layers may befurther provided. For example, a hole injection thin-film layer that iscomposed of a material, such as chromium oxide (III)(Cr₂O₃) and ITO(Indium-Tin Oxide: oxide-mixed film of indium (In) and tin (Sn)) may beprovided between the first electrode layer 13 and the organic layer 14.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, acase of the active-matrix type display unit is described, although thepresent technology is also applicable to a passive-matrix type displayunit. Further, a configuration of the pixel driving circuit foractive-matrix drive is not limited to any configuration that isdescribed in the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure,but capacitor elements or transistors may be added as appropriate. Inthis case, any necessary driving circuit may be added apart from thesignal-line driving circuit 120 and the scanning-line driving circuit130 as described above in accordance with a change to the pixel drivingcircuit.

Application Examples

Hereinafter, the description is provided on application examples of thedisplay units that are described in the above-mentioned embodiment andthe modification examples thereof of the present disclosure. The displayunits according to the above-mentioned embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure are applicable to electronicapparatuses in every field, such as a television receiver, a digitalcamera, a notebook personal computer, a mobile terminal including acellular phone, and a video camera. In other words, the display unitsaccording to the above-mentioned embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure are applicable to electronicapparatuses in every field that display externally-input image signalsor internally-generated image signals as images or video pictures.

(Module)

The display units according to the above-mentioned embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure may be built intovarious electronic apparatuses in first to sixth application examples 1to 6 to be hereinafter described as a module shown in FIG. 14 forexample. For example, this module may have a region 210 exposed from asealing substrate 19 and the like at one side of the substrate 111,extending wiring of the signal-line driving circuit 120 and thescanning-line driving circuit 130 to form external connection terminals(not shown in the figure) at this exposed region 210. An FPC (FlexiblePrinted Circuit) 220 for signal input/output may be provided for theexternal connection terminals.

Application Example 1

FIG. 15 shows an external view of a television receiver to which any ofthe display units according to the above-mentioned embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure is applicable. Thistelevision receiver may have, for example, an image display screensection 300 including a front panel 310 and a filter glass 320, and theimage display screen section 300 is composed of any of the display unitsaccording to the above-mentioned embodiment and the modificationexamples of the present disclosure.

Application Example 2

FIGS. 16A and 16B each show an external view of a digital camera towhich any of the display units according to the above-mentionedembodiment and the modification examples of the present disclosure isapplicable. This digital camera may have, for example, a light emittingsection 410 for flashing, a display section 420, a menu switch 430, anda shutter button 440, and the display section 420 is composed of any ofthe display units according to the above-mentioned embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure.

Application Example 3

FIG. 17 shows an external view of a notebook personal computer to whichany of the display units according to the above-mentioned embodiment andthe modification examples of the present disclosure is applicable. Thisnotebook personal computer may have, for example, a main body 510, akeyboard 520 for operation of entering characters and the like, and adisplay section 530 for image display, and the display section 530 iscomposed of any of the display units according to the above-mentionedembodiment and the modification examples of the present disclosure.

Application Example 4

FIG. 18 shows an external view of a video camera to which any of thedisplay units according to the above-mentioned embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure is applicable. Thisvideo camera may have, for example, a main body section 610, a lens 620for shooting an image of a subject that is provided at the front lateralside of the main body section 610, a start/stop switch 630 for startingor stopping the shooting of the image of the subject, and a displaysection 640, and the display section 640 is composed of any of thedisplay units according to the above-mentioned embodiment and themodification examples of the present disclosure.

Application Example 5

FIGS. 19A and 19B each show an external view of a cellular phone towhich any of the display units according to the above-mentionedembodiment and the modification examples of the present disclosure isapplicable. For example, this cellular phone, which may join an upperchassis 710 and a lower chassis 720 with a coupling section (hingesection) 730, may have a display 740, a sub-display 750, a picture light760, and a camera 770. The display 740 or the sub-display 750 iscomposed of any of the display units according to the above-mentionedembodiment and the modification examples of the present disclosure.

Application Example 6

FIGS. 20A and 20B each show an external configuration of a so-calledtablet-type personal computer (PC). This tablet-type PC may include, forexample, a display section 810, a non-display section 820 including ahousing for holding the display section 810, and an operational section830 including a power switch. It is to be noted that the operationalsection 830 may be provided at the front side of the non-display section820 as shown in FIG. 20A, or may be provided on the top side as shown inFIG. 20B. The display section 810 is a touch screen (touch panel) with aposition input function (pointing function) in addition to an imagedisplay function.

Furthermore, the technology encompasses any possible combination of someor all of the various embodiments described herein and incorporatedherein.

It is possible to achieve at least the following configurations from theabove-described example embodiments of the disclosure.

(1) A display unit comprising:an organic layer between a light-emitting section portion of a firstelectrode layer and a light-emitting section portion of a secondelectrode layer, light being emissible from within said organic layer;an aperture-defining insulating film between a contact section of thefirst electrode layer and a gap section portion of the second electrodelayer, wherein the thickness of said gap section portion of the secondelectrode layer is greater than the thickness of said light-emittingsection portion of the second electrode layer.(2) A display unit according to (1), further comprising:wiring electrically connected to said contact section of the firstelectrode layer, said contact section of the first electrode layer beingbetween said aperture-defining insulating film and said wiring.(3) A display unit according to (1) or (2), further comprising:a driving transistor electrically connected to said contact section ofthe first electrode layer.(4) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (3), wherein saidorganic layer comprises:a hole transportation layer between a hole injection layer and aluminescent layer, said luminescent layer being between an electrontransportation layer and said hole transportation layer.(5) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (4), wherein said gapsection portion of the second electrode layer comprises:a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, said secondconductive layer being in physical contact with said first conductivelayer.(6) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (5), wherein a volumeresistivity of the second conductive layer is lower than a volumeresistivity of the first conductive layer.(7) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (6), wherein saidfirst conductive layer is an indium tin oxide layer.(8) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (7), wherein saidfirst conductive layer includes indium, zinc, and oxygen.(9) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (8), wherein saidsecond conductive layer is a conductive metallic material.(10) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (9), wherein saidfirst conductive layer is electrically connected to said light-emittingsection portion of the second electrode layer.(11) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (10), wherein saidfirst conductive layer and said light-emitting section portion of thesecond electrode layer are a same material.(12) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (11), wherein saidfirst conductive layer and said second conductive layer are said samematerial.(13) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (12), wherein saidfirst conductive layer and said second conductive layer are of differentmaterials.(14) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (13), wherein saidlight is transmissible through said first conductive layer, said secondconductive layer being opaque to said light.(15) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (14), wherein anopening extends through a planarizing film, said contact section of thefirst electrode layer being within said opening.(16) A display unit according to any one of (1) or (15), wherein saidlight-emitting section portion of the first electrode layer is betweensaid organic layer and said planarizing film.(17) A display unit, including:

a plurality of light-emitting elements each of which is arranged on abase substrate and includes a light-emitting section, each of thelight-emitting sections including a first electrode layer, an organiclayer having a luminescent layer, and a second electrode layer that arelaminated in this order on the base substrate; and

an insulating layer separating the light-emitting sections of thelight-emitting elements from one another,

wherein the second electrode layer is provided in common among a part orall of the light-emitting elements, and includes a gap portion thatcovers the insulating layer, and

wherein the second electrode layer has a resistance in an in-planedirection smaller in the gap portion than in a luminescent portion, theluminescent portion composing the light-emitting section.

(18) The display unit according to (17), wherein the second electrodelayer includes a portion in the gap portion greater in thickness thanthe luminescent portion.(19) The display unit according to (18), wherein the second electrodelayer is made of a same kind of material for both of the luminescentportion and the gap portion.(20) The display unit according to (18), wherein the gap portion of thesecond electrode layer has a laminated structure including a first layerand a second layer, one or both of the first layer and the second layerbeing made of a same kind of material as the luminescent portion.(21) The display unit according to (20), wherein the second layer ismade of a material having a volume resistivity smaller than a volumeresistivity of the luminescent portion.(22) The display unit according to any one of (17) to (21), wherein theorganic layer is provided in common among a part or all of thelight-emitting elements, and includes a portion that also covers theinsulating layer.(23) The display unit according to any one of (17) to (22), wherein

the base substrate includes a driving element that controls a voltage tobe applied across the first electrode layer and the second electrodelayer, and

the first electrode layer is conductive with the driving element at aregion in which the insulating layer is provided.

(24) The display unit according to any one of (17) to (23), furtherincluding an auxiliary wiring that is conductive with the secondelectrode layer and surrounding a display section in which thelight-emitting elements are arranged.(25) The display unit according to (24), wherein the auxiliary wiring isprovided in a layer same in level as the first electrode layer.(26) The display unit according to any one of (17) to (25), wherein

the light-emitting elements are arrayed in a first direction and asecond direction that intersect with one another, and

the gap portion of the second electrode layer extends in the firstdirection and the second direction.

(27) An electronic apparatus provided with a display unit, the displayunit including:

a plurality of light-emitting elements each of which is arranged on abase substrate and includes a light-emitting section, each of thelight-emitting sections including a first electrode layer, an organiclayer having a luminescent layer, and a second electrode layer that arelaminated in this order on the base substrate; and

an insulating layer separating the light-emitting sections of thelight-emitting elements from one another,

wherein the second electrode layer is provided in common among a part orall of the light-emitting elements, and includes a gap portion thatcovers the insulating layer, and

wherein the second electrode layer has a resistance in an in-planedirection smaller in the gap portion than in a luminescent portion, theluminescent portion composing the light-emitting section.

The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosedin Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2012-170488 filed in theJapan Patent Office on Jul. 31, 2012, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display unit comprising: an organic layerbetween a light-emitting section portion of a first electrode layer anda light-emitting section portion of a second electrode layer, lightbeing emissible from within said organic layer; an aperture-defininginsulating film between a contact section of the first electrode layerand a gap section portion of the second electrode layer, wherein thethickness of said gap section portion of the second electrode layer isgreater than the thickness of said light-emitting section portion of thesecond electrode layer.
 2. A display unit according to claim 1, furthercomprising: wiring electrically connected to said contact section of thefirst electrode layer, said contact section of the first electrode layerbeing between said aperture-defining insulating film and said wiring. 3.A display unit according to claim 2, further comprising: a drivingtransistor electrically connected to said contact section of the firstelectrode layer.
 4. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein saidorganic layer comprises: a hole transportation layer between a holeinjection layer and a luminescent layer, said luminescent layer beingbetween an electron transportation layer and said hole transportationlayer.
 5. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein said gap sectionportion of the second electrode layer comprises: a first conductivelayer and a second conductive layer, said second conductive layer beingin physical contact with said first conductive layer.
 6. A display unitaccording to claim 5, wherein a volume resistivity of the secondconductive layer is lower than a volume resistivity of the firstconductive layer.
 7. A display unit according to claim 5, wherein saidfirst conductive layer is an indium tin oxide layer.
 8. A display unitaccording to claim 5, wherein said first conductive layer includesindium, zinc, and oxygen.
 9. A display unit according to claim 5,wherein said second conductive layer is a conductive metallic material.10. A display unit according to claim 5, wherein said first conductivelayer is electrically connected to said light-emitting section portionof the second electrode layer.
 11. A display unit according to claim 5,wherein said first conductive layer and said light-emitting sectionportion of the second electrode layer are a same material.
 12. A displayunit according to claim 11, wherein said first conductive layer and saidsecond conductive layer are said same material.
 13. A display unitaccording to claim 11, wherein said first conductive layer and saidsecond conductive layer are of different materials.
 14. A display unitaccording to claim 13, wherein said light is transmissible through saidfirst conductive layer, said second conductive layer being opaque tosaid light.
 15. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein an openingextends through a planarizing film, said contact section of the firstelectrode layer being within said opening.
 16. A display unit accordingto claim 15, wherein said light-emitting section portion of the firstelectrode layer is between said organic layer and said planarizing film.